MANILA — If the pandemic situation in the country continues to improve, Filipinos can expect fresh titles from ABS-CBN on the big screen, according to its film arm’s distribution head.

In fact, ABS-CBN Films, which is comprised of Star Cinema and Black Sheep, has films in the pipeline for possible release in theaters, distribution head Thellie Palanisamy said.

Metro Manila was deescalated to Alert Level 1 starting March 1, nearly two years after the first COVID-19 lockdown was enforced in the Philippines on March 15, 2020.

Under the new classification, venues such as concert halls and cinemas can operate at full capacity, in contrast to stricter alert levels where only a fraction is allowed.

“We’re very excited, very positive about the whole thing. We’re happy to hear that we’re slowly going back to watching in the cinemas,” Palanisamy told ABS-CBN News.

The film executive said the group is “hopeful” that the entire Philippines will soon be placed under Alert Level 1. As of March 16, Metro Manila and 47 other areas remain classified under the least restrictive status until the end of the month.

• Gov't extends Alert Level 1 in NCR; more areas ease restrictions

The remainder of the country are under Alert Level 2, which allows indoor venues to operate only at 50% capacity, until March 31.

“Our hope now is for the Alert Level 1 to be maintained, and hopefully nationwide na, so we can get the scope of the theatrical as we had it in the past,” she said.

The Philippines has seen a significant decline in reported COVID-19 infections in the past month, with the number of new cases only at 554 as of March 14, the most recently daily tally from Department of Health.

“We, at ABS-CBN Films, we’re definitely preparing for this,” Palanisamy said of the prospect of cinemas returning to pre-pandemic normal nationwide. “We’re committed to producing quality Filipino films for the world and we can’t wait to be in the cinemas again.”

“‘Yung success ng box office will heavily rely on the support of the audience, and we do hope that when the time comes, people will continue to watch movies in the theaters,” she added.

In the two years that followed the onset of the pandemic, Star Cinema and Black Sheep released 12 films via online platforms, notably KTX.ph, which emerged as the country’s foremost virtual venue during the global health crisis.

A 13th film, “Love At First Stream,” ran exclusively in theaters for the entire duration of the Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) from December to January. At the time, cinemas were restricted to 50-percent operating capacity.

• After MMFF, ‘Love At First Stream’ gets streaming date

As ABS-CBN Films prepares to resume cinema offerings, Palanaisamy said the group is looking at a “case-to-case basis” approach for its release model per title.

“Some may have a hybrid release, which is a combination of theatrical and online. There will be titles that we are eyeing for exclusive release in cinemas,” she explained.

Hybrid offerings may have simultaneous release via streaming and in cinemas, or with one ahead of the other, Palanisamy said.

While ABS-CBN Films is optimistic about the return of theatrical runs, Palanisamy opted not to give a timeline yet, when asked if the company has a target date for one of its titles to premiere on the big screen.

“Nakikita natin na papunta na tayo doon. Kaya lang, siyempre, nobody can say for sure. We’re hoping it won’t bounce back to another surge. Mahirap magsabi ng timeline, because it depends on a lot of factors,” she said.

Palanisamy was tight-lipped on projects in development that are being considered for cinema release, only assuring that Star Cinema and Black Sheep are “doing their best” to produce quality movies.

Comedy superstar Vice Ganda, whose filmography is almost completely with Star Cinema as a co-producer, recently hinted at a movie comeback in collaboration with the ABS-CBN Films outfit.

• Vice Ganda hints at movie comeback after nearly 3 years

The “It’s Showtime” mainstay, in fact, brought up a meeting with Star Cinema and said he was in the process of casting, during the March 11 episode of the noontime program.

Vice Ganda’s last big-screen title was in 2019, the MMFF entry “The Mall, The Merrier” co-starring Anne Curtis and co-produced by Star Cinema and Viva Films.

Palanisamy did not mention Vice Ganda’s upcoming project with Star Cinema.

“Ito na lang sasabihin ko,” she answered, when asked for a title in the works. “We’ll definitely do our best. Pinaghahandaan namin ‘to. We’re all excited, at sana excited din ang audience natin, because we really, really need everybody’s support para magkaroon ulit ng box-office success.”